Practice Management Alert

Question: In addition to my duties as practice manager at our mid-sized medical practice, I am beginning to do some coding. I think I can handle the CPT^® coding part, but I’m going to need some help getting ready to use ICD-10. I’ve never even used ICD-9 codes before, so I’m way behind the curve. I am literally starting from square 1; where should I start my ICD-10 training?

New Hampshire Subscriber

Answer: You might not be as far behind the curve as you think. One of the most challenging aspects of learning the new diagnosis coding system is transitioning from ICD-9 to ICD-10. You won’t have to unlearn ICD-9 while simultaneously learning ICD-10, so you might be in a good position to learn quickly.

Check it out: American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) and Elsevier Revenue Cycle eLearning have posted FAQs on the most pressing ICD-10 topics. Take these points to heart when prepping for ICD-10.

Who has to use ICD-10 diagnosis codes? Every insurer and healthcare provider covered by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) must use ICD-10 diagnosis codes, according to AHIMA. These codes are not just for use when you’re filing with Medicare or Medicaid payers.

What are the benefits of ICD-10? ICD-10 data will lead to improved healthcare initiatives such as Meaningful Use, value-based purchasing, payment reform and quality reporting, according to AHIMA. Medicare and other insurers will use the new data culled from ICD-10 to “support research and public health reporting, and move to a payment system based on quality and outcomes,” AHIMA continues.

What skills should I “brush up on” to prep for ICD-10? According to Elsevier, coders new to ICD-10 can prepare by studying:

• Greek and Latin prefixes, suffixes and roots, “and combining forms used as the basis of most medical terms,” reports Elsevier
• Common medical abbreviations
• Eponyms and names of syndromes
• Alternative names and descriptions for diseases
• Adjectives, such as purulent and necrotic that ICD-10 uses as descriptors for diseases and disorders
• Terms that describe surgical techniques, such as resect, dissect, incise, excise, debride, etc.
• Terms used to describe certain technologies and manufacturer names for tests, devices and procedures, according to Elsevier.

The ICD-10 book is huge; do I have to learn the whole thing? Most coders need to be intimately familiar with the diagnosis codes that are relevant to their provider, so they don’t use the entire ICD-10 manual. For example, an otolaryngology coder would have to know how to code chronic nosebleeds, but a radiology coder would not have much cause to use these codes. You should ask veteran coders in your office to give you a set of codes you should learn intimately. Then, learn those codes.